Growing Pains
by Ra-Ra-Crazy93
Summary: Hiccup grew up in some wild times, and before he could explore uncharted territories, he had to make Berk home first. Relatively stand alone ficlets, but I want to make them connect. Will probably get a little angsty later on.


**So hey! It's been a while with uni and all, but I'm back on the HTTYD hype train and back with a new story. Well specifically, these will be ficlets of Hiccup's upbringing on Berk. It's literally my first non-AU fic which is ridiculous. I hope ya'll enjoy!**

The fire raged, warming the home on the cold winter night. A howling wind could still be heard, rattling and whistling as if it was trying to break in, but the slow crackling on the hearth drowned out the noise. Hiccup lay on his stomach, watching the flames rise and the ashes fling onto the ground. Stoick the Vast chuckled behind him as he stirred his salmon soup concoction; his child became infatuated with the simplest of things.

At four years old, Hiccup was the smallest child on the island, with some of the toddlers surpassing him in height and weight. Stoick often worried that his only child would be killed in an attack, crushed amongst a stampede of Vikings escaping a raid or finding himself trapped in a burning building. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time. Stoick shuddered at the memory of losing his beloved wife. He couldn't allow his son to feel that pain again.

Finishing his meal, Stoick laid his bowl on the ground and picked up his son, who was still small enough to bundle in his arms.

"Daddy!", Hiccup squealed with his gap-tooth smile and his father carried him across the room.

"It's bedtime, son. We need to be up early tomorrow, we have visitors!", Stoick explained in a cheery manner, allowing his young son to grip onto his emerald shirt and nestle in his particularly outlandish beard. He was proud of that beard and expected Hiccup to sport one too when the time came for it. He started strolling upstairs as he contemplated the plans for the following day. The Bog-Burglar's were visiting, and there would be a lot of official business to go through. He hoped things would go without a hitch; Berk was a peaceful village save for the dragon raids, and Stoick wished to keep it that way.

Laying his son down in his small makeshift bed, Stoick brushed a hand over Hiccup's soft auburn hair. It was getting long. Hiccup giggled and closed his eyes, ready for sleep to take him. "Night son", Stoick whispered, before yawning himself. It was a cold night and it was getting late. Making his way back down the steep staircase, he put the struggling fire out and made his way to bed.

A loud explosion woke Stoick up with a start. He knew immediately what it was, and without a second thought, he got to his feet and pulled out his trusty battle-axe. A raid had hit them, and the other Vikings were making a commotion outside as a Hideous Zippleback landed on one of the villager's roofs. A large fire had erupted in a nearby home, and the family was outside reacting violently to the intruder that had caused it. Stoick rushed up the stairs to ensure his son was safe, but to his horror, he noticed that Hiccup was not in his bed.

"Hiccup!", he screamed as he ran out into the battlefield. He knew he needed to fight amongst his villagers; after all, he was chief. He also had no idea where his young son was, and that prospect was terrifying. Feeling tense, Stoick hardly noticed as Spitelout, his younger brother, ran up to him.

"We have a Zippleback and a Deadly Nadder. Bryndis has managed to keep them under control for now…"

"Have you seen Hiccup, Spitelout?", Stoick shouted, grabbing his brother by the shoulders suddenly. Spitelout shook his head. "Have you tried to forge? Maybe he's with Gobber."

"Aye, you take charge of the dragons. I need to find my son!". Panic began to overwhelm the usually strong-minded man, his head throbbing with every footstep. Hiccup was curious, but Stoick had never expected him to simply take off, not least during such a dangerous situation. He ran towards the forge where Gobber was fixing up weapons. He offered the chief a lopsided smile, which immediately subsided when he saw the panicked expression on Stoick's face. Gobber formulated his words carefully, but before he could say anything, Stoick had started semi-shouting.

"Hiccup….Is he with you?". Gobber's face fell further. The blacksmith hadn't seen Hiccup since the previous morning. "No, he isn't. Why isn't he at home?". Stoick narrowed his eyes at this comment.

"He was! He's just disappeared!", Stoick frantically paced the shop, running his hands through his hair.

"He'll be about Stoick! He can't have just disappeared! Have you checked around the woods?". The pair knew that Hiccup had an affinity for nature and enjoyed nothing more than wandering into the woods. He just seemed connected to nature, in a way that Stoick had never seen before on Berk, not even from his late wife…

"No, I haven't. Thank you", and with that, the chief left the forge and ran towards the forested area of the village. The flames were beginning to die down, with the firefighters in full force, and the evicted family were being comforted by the Hofferson's nearby. The only sounds Stoick could hear were his feet impacting the cold snow and the sound of his own hurried breath. Entering the forest, he leaned against a tree in an attempt to calm himself.

It was futile.

His son was missing. It was a cold night, and he was only four. He was his only child, the only child with his missing wife. He was a failure of a father and a failure of a chief. An icy tear slid down his cheek as he rested, frozen on the spot and yet completely restless.

"Daddy?"

Stoick looked down, aghast. His young son was hidden behind a rock, clutching his stuffed dragon and holding it tight to his chest. He was wearing only a long shirt that he had gone to sleep in, and he wore no shoes.

"Hiccup!", the chief cried, grabbing his tiny child and pulling him into his arms. He was freezing and snow had collected on his wispy hair. The boy sniffled and shivered, greeting the warmth and comfort. "Why did you leave the house? Don't you ever run off again!", Stoick shouted, immediately regretting how angry he had sounded. His son recoiled and let out a whimper.

"I was scared, daddy! I saw the fire and it scared me." Stoick let out a sigh and gently rocked Hiccup in his arms.

"You're safe now. You're always safe with me, Hiccup".


End file.
